What data do you use to make educational technology decisions?

1 Learning outcomes data

Learning outcomes data are the most important type of data to measure the impact of EdTech on student achievement. Learning outcomes data can include standardized test scores, grades, assessments, portfolios, and feedback. You can use learning outcomes data to compare the performance of students who use EdTech with those who do not, or to monitor the progress of students who use EdTech over time. Learning outcomes data can also help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of EdTech in relation to the curriculum, pedagogy, and learner needs.

2 Engagement data

Engagement data are the second type of data to measure the effectiveness of EdTech on student motivation, interest, and participation. Engagement data can include attendance, time spent, completion rates, interactions, and satisfaction. You can use engagement data to evaluate how well EdTech engages students in the learning process, how it supports their autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and how it fosters a positive learning environment. Engagement data can also help you adjust the design, delivery, and support of EdTech to increase student engagement.

3 Usability data

Usability data are the third type of data to measure the usability of EdTech on student and teacher experience. Usability data can include ease of use, functionality, accessibility, reliability, and compatibility. You can use usability data to assess how user-friendly EdTech is, how it meets the technical and operational requirements, and how it integrates with other systems and platforms. Usability data can also help you troubleshoot and improve the quality and performance of EdTech.

4 How to collect data

When it comes to collecting data for EdTech evaluation, there are many options to consider depending on the purpose, scope, and resources available. Surveys and questionnaires are a great way to gather feedback, opinions, and perceptions from students, teachers, parents, and administrators. Interviews and focus groups can help explore in-depth insights, experiences, and perspectives from key stakeholders. Observations and recordings are useful for capturing the actual behavior, interaction, and context of EdTech use in the classroom or online. Tests and assessments can measure the knowledge, skills, and competencies of students before and after using EdTech. Lastly, analytics and dashboards are helpful for tracking and visualizing the quantitative data from EdTech platforms and tools.

5 How to analyze data

Once you have collected the data, analyzing it is essential to make sense of it and draw conclusions. To do so, you should organize and clean the data by sorting, categorizing, filtering, and verifying that it is accurate, complete, and relevant. Then summarize and describe the data by calculating, comparing, and presenting basic statistics, trends, and patterns. Furthermore, interpret and explain the data by applying, testing, and refining theories, hypotheses, and questions. Finally, evaluate and synthesize the data from different sources, methods, and perspectives to synthesize what it means.

6 How to act on data

The final step is to act on the data to make informed EdTech decisions. This may involve communicating and reporting the data to relevant stakeholders, celebrating and rewarding successes, and reflecting and learning from challenges and opportunities. All of this helps to inform, persuade, motivate, inspire, appreciate, innovate, adapt, and grow.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?